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Open Society Foundation for South Africa

Open Society Foundations Chairman George Soros began his philanthropy in South Africa in 1979, funding scholarships for black students at the University of Cape Town. In 1993, Soros established the Open Society Foundation for South Africa, just before the historic 1994 democratic election. This history links our foundation closely to the country’s dismantling of apartheid and its transition to democracy.

Throughout the entire course of this process, we have been committed to promoting the values, institutions, and practices of an open, non-racial and non-sexist, democratic, civil society in which the rule of law and divergent opinions are respected. Our efforts focus on four main areas of activity: promoting public- and private-sector accountability; advancing civil society and socioeconomic rights; protecting the free flow of information and freedom of expression; and strengthening justice and equality.